


Mortality

by Peridaniel



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, i suck at titles by the way, my attempt at a loud house drama fic, rare disease that hardly anyone has heard of, the cool kids seem to like those
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-17 08:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11847915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peridaniel/pseuds/Peridaniel
Summary: An ordinary Saturday morning takes a dark turn after Lucy is taken to the hospital in bad condition. With her condition still unstable and doctors not knowing how to treat her, the Loud siblings may have to face the possibility of their sister dying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a Loud House dramatic fanfic, and uh... I don't know how much confidence I should have in it, haha. Especially since not a lot of people look for Loud House fanfics on AO3. Might also post it in chunks on Pastebin (which for whatever reason is filled with some popular Loud House fanfics) but I dunno yet. Anyway, enjoy.

The day began just like an ordinary Saturday morning. The sun began to rise, revealing its brightness to the town of Royal Woods. It peaked through the windows of the Loud family household as the 11 siblings and their parents one by one rose out of bed. 

Lynn rose out of bed and opened the window, smiling as she looked at how nice it was outside. _This'll be a great day to play some soccer at the park with the girls,_ she thought. 

But, something seemed off in the room. Lynn looked over at her little sister, still in bed. Usually if Lynn were to open their window in the morning, Lucy would be complaining about the light and yelling at her to close it. But today, she didn't even groan or turn her head away. As a matter of fact, she didn't even stir.

"That's strange," Lynn muttered to herself, a bit surprised. She shrugged. "Probably just still deep asleep. After all, she was up pretty late with her bats last night..." 

Lynn went downstairs to get some breakfast. Her sisters, Lincoln, and her parents were all awake.

"Morning, honey," their mother greeted. 

"Hey, Mom," Lynn replied, getting out some cereal. 

"Since you're up, do you know why Lucy hasn't gotten up yet?" Lincoln asked. "She missed the new episode of _Vampires of Melancholia_ last night and it's about to rerun. Judging by how mad she was last night, I wouldn't want her to miss it again."

"I don't know," Lynn replied. "She was out pretty late with those bats she hangs around last night, so she might just be sleeping in. When I'm up too late for a night game, I can sometimes sleep like a rock as late as 1 pm."

"True," Lincoln said. "I'll record it for her." He got up and went over to the living room.

Still, Lynn couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. After all, up late or not, it still seemed strange that Lucy was so unresponsive to the light, and that she was still sleeping when her favorite show was on. _Maybe I should check on her..._

Lynn walked up the stairs and slowly walked over to her room. She half-expected and hoped that Lucy would be perfectly fine and it was a pointless task to check on her, but she was also a bit anxious. She had heard of people suddenly dying in their sleep... She shuttered and tried to shake the dark thought away, but still worried. 

After several long moments of walking, Lynn came to her door and slowly opened it. "Lucy?" She came inside and said softly, "Luce, a rerun of that episode of _Vampires of Melancholia_ you missed last night is on soon. Don't you wanna watch it?"

But as Lynn came closer to her sister's bed, she realized something was indeed very wrong. Lucy was still in bed, but her face was pinkish as opposed to its usual near white, and her body was twitching and writhing. 

"Lucy?" Lynn asked, now deeply worried.

"L-Lynn?" Lucy choked out before gasping for air. 

"Yea, it's me," Lynn replied. "What's happening to you?"

"I-I don't-" Lucy began. Suddenly, the twitching movements turned into a full on convulsion.

"Oh my god..." Lynn said. She lifted up her mattress as quickly as she could and set it on the ground next to Lucy's bed in case she were to fall off. Then, she ran as fast as she could downstairs to the kitchen.

"Someone call an ambulance!" she cried. 

"An ambulance?" Lynn Loud Sr. asked. 

"What's wrong?" Rita Loud asked.

"It's Lucy!" Lynn shouted. "Something's seriously wrong with her! I went up to check on her and her face was all flushed and she was really panicky and didn't sound like she was breathing good and now she's all shaky and convulsing!" Her sisters and parents stared in shock. Lincoln came back from the living room, eyes wide. 

"Sounds to me like hypoventilation and late stage hypercapnia," Lisa said with obvious worry in her voice. "I don't know what would be causing this condition, but regardless, it's imperative that she gets to a hospital quickly!"

Rita was talking to the dispatcher on the phone, pacing. "We need an ambulance at 1216 Franklin Avenue as quickly as possible. One of my daughters was found in her room showing symptoms of..." she looked at Lisa.

"Hypoventilation and hypercapnia," the four year old said quickly.

"Hypoventilation and hypercapnia," Rita repeated. "That's what we think anyway. Yes, she's in the room closest to the staircase when you go up. Thank you." Rita hung up. "Lynn, please stay up there with her until the paramedics get here." 

Lynn nodded and walked back up the stairs. She went inside her room. Lucy had stopped convulsing, but was still twitching and panicking. There was visible sweat beading down her face. 

"It's okay, Luce," Lynn said softly, holding her ailing sister's hand. "An ambulance is gonna be here soon. You're gonna be okay."

"I don't feel too good..." Lucy mumbled, wheezing a bit. 

"I know you don't feel good," Lynn replied. "But you're gonna be fine, okay?"

"O-okay," Lucy stammered out in reply. 

Lynn stayed with her little sister for what seemed like hours before she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Two paramedics approached the room, carrying a gourney.

"Hello," one of the paramedics greeted. He looked at Lucy. "I assume this is the girl we need?" Lynn nodded. 

"Alright, let's get her on," the other paramedic said. Lynn released her grip on Lucy's hand as the paramedics slowly lifted her up. Once the paramedics began lifting her, Lucy suddenly let out a terrible screaming noise. She threw her head back and began kicking and flapping her arms.

"Lucy!" Lynn shouted. "It's okay! You're gonna be okay!" Lucy either didn't hear her or was ignoring her as she continued to scream and fight back against the paramedics. 

"Give her here!" Lynn said to the paramedics. "I'm strong enough to lift her. I'll get her on." The paramedics handed Lucy over. Lynn held her for a moment, rocking her a bit. Lucy didn't usually like being treated like someone of her own age, nevermind a baby, but this seemed to calm her down. While she was still panicky, she stopped fighting. Lynn gently placed her onto the gourney.

"You'll be okay, I promise," Lynn whispered. "You don't have to panic."

"Panicking and reduced brain function can sometimes be symptoms of late stage hypercapnia," the paramedic explained. "We better get her to the hospital fast." He and his partner picked up the gourney and slowly took it downstairs, Lynn following. 

Rita, Lynn Sr., and all the other siblings were waiting near the stairway, staring up anxiously. 

"She'll need some oxygen right away," one of the paramedics said to Rita and Lynn Sr. 

"Alright," Rita replied. "Can we ride with her in the ambulance?" At that, many of the Loud siblings got closer and began shouting over each other.

"Can we ride, too?"

"We want to ride with her!"

"Please let us come with!"

"QUIET!" Lynn Sr. shouted. The kids immediately went silent.

"I'm afraid we'll only have enough room for your parents right now," the paramedic said.

"But we want to be with her!" Lori replied in protest.

"Yea, she's our sister!" Luna said.

"We know, kids," the other paramedic said. "But there's just not enough room in the ambulance, and we don't want to crowd her." The kids all reluctantly mumbled in agreement.

"Look, Lori, how about you load up the kids in the vanzilla and follow the ambulance to the hospital?" Lynn Sr. suggested. 

"Alright," Lori replied. "Come on, guys." She picked up Lily and walked outside, followed by the other siblings. Lynn took one more glance at Lucy as she was being loaded onto the ambulance. _Please be ok..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we are. Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter should be out next week at some point. Later!
> 
> PS, hypoventilation is not breathing enough and hypercapnia is too much carbon dioxide in your system. Just in case you didn't know what I was talking about here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the second one! Not much to say here except that I had to rewrite a huge chunk of it and I hope I won't have to do that again. Enjoy!

Anyone walking into the waiting room of the emergency wing at Royal Woods Children's Hospital could almost feel the tension and anxiety radiating from the Loud siblings. 

Lori held onto Lily in one arm and wrapped a comforting arm around the twins in the other. They stood next to Lori, trembling and looking at each other. Lisa was sitting on the floor, flipping through medical books. It was unclear to the other siblings whether she was looking through them out of genuine interest or simply trying to distract herself. Leni sat in a chair next to the other siblings, rocking back and forth. 

"How long has it been since we got here?" Lynn asked. 

"About half an hour," Lincoln replied, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Feels like we've been here half the day!" Luna yelled. 

"I sure hope Lucy's okay..." Lynn said. "She looked awful when I found her."

"I'm just glad you found her in the first place," Lisa said, looking up from her book. "I'm not certain how she is right now, but I know that judging by her symptoms, if she had gone half an hour at most without treatment, she would have..." Lisa paused and deeply sighed. "She would have died." Lynn shuddered at the thought.

"She's gonna be okay now though, right?" Leni asked.

"Again, I'm not certain," Lisa replied, looking down at the floor. "If supplemental oxygen was supplied to her immediately, she should be fine, but it may have also caused severe damage, which could be fatal."

"What if she dies?" Lola asked, looking up at Lori with tears in her eyes. 

"Yea," Lana said, also looking up tearfully. "She may be creepy and weird and a but scary at times but..." A tear fell down her face. "But she's still my big sister, and-and I love her and I don't wanna lose her!" 

"Hopefully, she won't," Lori replied, hugging the twins tighter.  

A few moments later, Lynn Sr. and Rita entered the waiting room, followed by a tall redheaded female doctor. The siblings immediately ran over to them.

"Is Lucy gonna be okay?" Lori asked. 

"Can we see her?" Lana asked.

"She should be okay for now," the doctor replied, prompting a unanimous sigh of relief from all the siblings. "She was hooked up to a BiPAP and a machine that monitors her oxygen and CO2 levels, and we're waiting on the results for a blood test and CT scan to figure out what caused this" She turned to Lana. "As for visiting her, she's currently asleep, but you guys can see her if you wish. She's in room 11 down the..."

The kids immediately ran down the hall before the doctor could even finish her sentence. Their parents raced after them. 

"Wait!" Rita said, standing in their way. "Like the doctor said, Lucy is asleep. I don't want to wake her up. She needs rest after all that stuff that happened this morning."

"Okay," the Louds said all at once.

"Can we please just see her now?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes," Rita replied, moving out of the way. "Just remember to be quiet." The kids walked at a slower pace before reaching room 11, and they all walked inside, followed by their parents.

It was a bit hard to see as the lights were off, but the Louds could make out Lucy's face covered by an oxygen mask and hear her breath hit its lining.

"At least she's breathing," Lisa whispered. Lynn nodded in response. 

"Mm.." A small groan came from their sister, and she rose up slightly from the bed. "Hey guys," she mumbled, muffled by the oxygen mask.

_So much for letting her sleep,_ Lincoln thought. He walked closer to his little sister's bed, followed by the other Loud siblings.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Rita asked.

"Meh..." Lucy answered. "A bit tired, but fine I guess." She grabbed for the remote attached to her bed and folded it a bit, making it easier to sit up. 

"I'm glad you're at least alright," Lynn Sr. said, holding his daughter's hand. "Your siblings were worried about you."

"Really?" Lucy said, looking at her family.

"Of course we were, dude!" Luna replied. 

"Yea, you literally looked like you were going to die," Lori added.

"And you likely would have very quickly and painfully, had Lynn not found you in the state you were in," Lisa said.

"I- I would have?" Lucy asked, a twinge of unease in her voice.

"Well, yes..." Lisa replied, looking down. 

"Hm." Lucy looked down at herself.

"Well," Lori said, moving to the other side of the bed and holding Lucy's remaining hand, "let's just be grateful that that _didn't_ happen. Glad you're okay, Luce."

"Thanks," Lucy replied with a small smile. She then turned to Lynn. "I don't remember much of what happened, actually..."

"You were panicking and getting really twitchy, and you even started convulsing at one point," Lynn told her, frowning a bit remembering the state Lucy was in when she found her. "And when the paramedics came, they couldn't lift you up without you getting all panicky. I had to rock you a bit to calm you down."

"Huh..." Lucy said. "I just remember waking up sweating and feeling really sick, and I couldn't breathe. And then a little bit after that, I remember you coming up, and it's just kinda fuzzy from there." 

"The lack of oxygen going to your brain can impair mental function," Lisa said. 

"Yea, I think that's what the paramedic said, too," Lynn said. 

Lisa got a bit closer to Lucy's bedside and saw her head beginning to droop. "And it appears that either the impaired function hasn't completely repaired itself, or she's tired."

"Huh?" Lucy said, her head snapping back up. "Yea... Tired..."

"Get some rest, Luce Goose," Lynn Sr. said, stroking Lucy's head.

"Mm hm," Lucy mumbled, flattening the bed back out with the remote. She turned over towards Lori and began to drift off. 

A few moments later, a quiet knock was heard at the door, followed by the doctor from before coming in. She smiled. "I see Lucy is still doing well."

"Yes, she woke up for a few minutes to talk with her siblings, but she's back asleep now," Rita replied.

"Good, good," the doctor said. 

"So, did the tests come back?" Lynn Sr. asked.

The doctor's smile faded. "Yes, but..." 

"But what?" Rita asked. "What's wrong with her?"

"That's the strange thing," the doctor replied. "The tests came back totally normal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooh the plot thickens. Next chapter is about a quarter of the way done and should be out Saturday (I think I'm gonna try and keep a consistent update schedule of every Tuesday and Saturday). Later!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, chapter 3! This one wasn't really the easiest thing to write, and, well, that may show at some points, but I hope y'all enjoy nonetheless.

"What?" Rita harshly whispered. "What the hell do you mean 'totally normal'? My daughter comes here _in need of oxygen and almost dying_ , and you're gonna tell me she came back normal?"

"Honey, calm down and let her explain," Lynn Sr. said, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder. 

"Her blood and lungs may be physically well  but," the doctor began, "something is still obviously wrong. And we have suspicions as to what it is." The siblings rushed up to the doctor.

"What is it?" Lori asked.

"What's wrong with our sis?" Luna asked.

"We'll need to do a DNA test to find out for sure," the doctor replied, "but we're suspecting this sudden decline to be a complication from a very rare defect of the MTHFD1 gene."

"The MTHFD1 gene..." Lisa said, looking up in thought. "I believe that is a protein coding gene which possesses the three distinct enzymatic activities that each catalyze one of three sequential reactions in the interconversion of 1-carbon derivatives of tetrahydrofolate, correct?" The other siblings looked at each other whole scratching their heads in confusion. 

"Well, yes," the doctor replied, surprised that a four year old knew all of that. "And looking at her medical records, she does show some key signs of a defect. I believe her pale skin is the cause of megaloblastic anemia, correct?"

"Yes, we've been told that," Rita replied.

"Wait, what?" Lana asked. "What's mega... megalo... whatever she just said?"

Rita held a quieting hand to her daughter. "We were told it wasn't a big deal."

"Usually it isn't," the doctor said. "But in this case, the anemia is caused by a severe lack of vitamin B12 and folates, which the genetic defect we're thinking she has most likely caused. Combined with several other complications such as combined immune deficiency, they may be what's causing this sudden stop in breathing and subsequent attack of hypercapnia."

"What does all of that mean?" Lori asked. "Will she be okay?" 

"We'll discuss her prognosis and how we'll treat her once it's confirmed that that's what it is," the doctor replied. "We've taken some DNA from Lucy's blood and we're examining it at the moment." She walked over to Lucy's bedside, looking over the data on the oxygen meter. "The BIPAP seems to be doing fine for now, and she still seems stable. Call me over if that changes, okay?"

"Okay," Lynn Sr. replied. The doctor nodded and left the room. Lynn Sr. then looked at his oldest daughter. "Lori, could you take the kids home? I think we'll take it from here."

"WHAT???" the kids screamed simultaneously. 

"Shhh!" Rita pointed at Lucy while giving the kids an angry look. Luckily, Lucy simply groaned a bit and turned over. 

"Sorry, Mom," Lincoln whispered. "But we can't just leave her!"

"Yea!" Luna agreed. "All that junk the doctor was goin' on about sounded pretty serious."

"We wanna stay and make sure she's alright!" Lana said.

"I know, I know," Lynn Sr. said. "But I don't want you stressing yourselves out in front of her."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Lori asked. "Just leave her while she might _die?_ " 

"She won't die," Rita assured Lori. "Just please, take the kids home. We'll stay with Lucy, okay?"

"Fine," Lori said with a sigh. "Come on, guys."

The kids, however, still held their ground, staring daggers at their parents. 

"Go with your sister," Lynn Sr. said firmly. 

The kids, still looking angrily at them, followed Lori out the door. 

"So unfair," Lola muttered as they stepped out into the hallway.

"I know," Lori said. "But they seemed to have their reasons and I wasn't going to argue anymore."

"Well, you should've!" Lana shouted. "We wanna know what's wrong with her!" 

"I've never seen this before," the kids suddenly heard, muffled through one of the vents. The twins got a bit closer in curiosity, followed by the other siblings.

"I know," a deeper voice replied. "I've seen defects in this gene before, but nothing like this!"

"Are they talking about Lucy?" Lola asked. The others shushed her.

"The patient even has 10 siblings who's records show nothing like this!" The Louds' faces darkened at this.

"M-maybe there's another patient with 10 siblings that has a genetic defect," Luan stammered, forcing a smile. 

"Yea," Luna replied with an uncomfortable chuckle.

"I'll have to tell her parents about this," another voice said. "She's in room 11, right?" 

"Yes," the familiar voice of Lucy's doctor replied. The siblings slowly backed away from where the vent was. The twins hugged each other, Lisa stood with her mouth hanging open, and the others felt like they were going to be sick. Even little Lily had an uneasy look. 

The siblings saw a man coming turning the corner to the hallway they were in, and ran out of the hallway. They went outside and in the vanzilla. 

Lori sat in the front seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. She took a few deep breaths as the others got in. She turned and faced her younger sisters and brother.

"I know that sounded really... dire," Lori said, trying to keep her cool. "But just because what Lucy has is rare and unknown doesn't _necessarily_ mean it's gonna kill her, right?" She tried her best to smile. 

"I mean, the doctors may not know exactly what they're dealing with and therefore cannot properly treat her condition, but..." Lisa said while also trying to smile, "that, uh, doesn't mean they can't figure something out."

"That's the spirit!" Lori replied. "And no matter what, we'll get through it like we always do: As a family!"

"Right!" the other siblings said. 

"Now, let's go home," Lori said, starting the engine. 

But still, despite the short speech, the siblings still couldn't shake the fear from their heads that they may soon be down a sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. Things aren't looking that good, are they? The story continues on Tuesday! 
> 
> Also, yes, I know the whole vent listening thing wouldn't happen in real life, but that's what's nice about writing fanfics about shows like The Loud House: Things don't have to be accurate to real life. And I'm sure that would be something that would happen on TLH, considering there IS an episode where they listen to their parents through vents. So yea. Later!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Nothing significant to say here, so just enjoy.

"How are we going to tell the other kids?"

"The other kids? How are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know!"

Lucy opened her eyes and sat herself up a bit. "Tell who what?"

"Oh, Lucy..." Rita came closer to her daughter, followed by her husband, and gave her a hug. Lucy was a bit weirded out, but awkwardly returned the hug. 

"What's going on?" Lucy asked after the hug was broken. Rita and Lynn Sr. looked at each other uneasily, before Lynn Sr. quietly began speaking.

"The doctors did tests on your DNA because they suspected what was wrong, and it came back worse than they thought."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the genetic defect you tested positive for is..." Rita replied, hesitating. "It's very rare and they have no idea how to treat it. They'll try to slow down what it's doing to you as much as possible, but..." She paused again, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "What you have is terminal."

Terminal. The word hit Lucy like a truck. She had always dreamed about death and the afterlife, but she had always been under the assumption it would come to her at an old age. After living a full life with her family and friends. Not when she wasn't even a teenager yet. And as much as Lucy enjoyed the concept of death and dying, nothing about the situation she was in provided any enjoyment or anticipation.

"So I'm going to die?" Lucy asked. Rita fell into her husband's arms, crying. Lucy looked down, deep in thought. "Sigh... Mortality is a fragile thing. Anyone can be taken from this cruel world at any given time. Whether it be when they're old and weary, newborns who had barely seen the world..." she let out a small sigh- uncharacteristically, an actual one as opposed to saying the word-, "or only eight years old."

"You still have time left, sweetie," Rita said, holding Lucy's hand. "We were told it would be 3-4 years before you... you know."

"Still," Lucy said, "I hadn't expected this to happen so... soon."

"I guess you'll just have to make the most of the next couple of years," Rita responded with a sad smile. "And we'll all make sure they're the best years you could possibly live out."

"Thank you," Lucy said. After a few moments, she asked another question. "Do the others know?" 

"We sent them home before they could find out," Lynn Sr. replied.

"Can they come back?" Lucy asked. "I want to see them."

"Okay," Rita replied. "Are you going to tell them, or would you rather we tell them?"

"I don't want them to know," Lucy replied. 

"Lucy, that's not an option," Rita said sternly. "They are your siblings. They deserve to know."

Lucy hesitated before responding. "Alright. I'll tell them myself."

Meanwhile, the neighborhood on Franklin Avenue found that for once, the ever noisy and hated house of the Loud family was unusually quiet. No twins chasing each other around the house, no nuclear explosions blowing the roof off, no loud electric guitars hurting the ears of passerbyers, no sports balls flying through the windows, et cetera. Needless to say, the neighbors were pleased, and making the most of the quiet while it lasted.

Inside the Loud house, however, pleasure was the last emotion the kids were feeling. The conversation in the vanzilla hadn't done much to brighten their spirits, and it showed. Despite it being almost one o' clock at this point, none of them had the appetite to eat lunch. Even Lily was quiet and stoic.

"Lisa, you have a bunch of science-y medical-ly stuff," Leni said. "Can't you find a way to cure her?"

"We don't even know _exactly_ what's happening to her," Lisa replied. "And even if I did and could reverse it, the symptoms are being caused by a genetic defect, and I don't believe there is a completely safe way to reverse that. So, probably not very effectively, no." She sighed. 

"Did you find anything on the genetic defect?" Lincoln asked.

"Not much, no," Lisa replied.

Suddenly, Lori's phone rang. The caller ID read "Dad". Lori immediately picked it up. "Hello? Yea, we're home. Did you find out what was wrong with her? What? Okay. We'll be right there. Bye." Lori hung up as the siblings gathered around her.

"What did he say?" Lincoln asked. 

"Lucy's awake and wants us to visit her," Lori replied. "And we'll find out for sure if it's as bad as we think when we get there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time I did a chapter of a Lucy-centric fic written from Lucy's perspective, amirite? It's kinda interesting to explore the Dutchess of Darkness' thoughts on dying. I've always looked at her as being a little more afraid of death than she lets on. 
> 
> Anywho, new chapter coming Saturday of course. Later!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy there. So like, this chapter was written way ahead of time instead of last minute like the last couple so that's good. This one may be sad. But read it anyway. :)))) Enjoy.

Once again, the Louds ran into the Royal Woods Children's Hospital and into the emergency ward. Their parents were standing outside of Lucy's room. 

"She still in there?" Lori asked.

"She'll be moved to a proper hospital room soon, but yes, at the moment she is" Rita replied. "She wanted to talk to you guys in private." This already made the Loud siblings uneasy once again. After all, why would she want to talk to them in private if things weren't dire? They looked at each other nervously and walked in.

"Hello, siblings," Lucy greeted without turning to face them.

"Hey, Lucy," Lori said. "Mom and Dad said you wanted to talk to us in private?"

"Yea," Lucy replied. "Sigh... I don't know how I even want to say this. But you guys need to know." She paused and looked at them, before simply stating, "I'm dying."

Her siblings gasped at this. The twins held each other and began to cry. The older sisters and Lincoln stood still, some visible tears forming. Lisa looked down solemnly. Lily, being held in Lori's arms, simply looked at Lucy.

Lucy looked away from them, almost crying herself. She didn't show it much, but she did love her siblings deeply. And it hurt to see them crying over her. _This is what I was afraid of..._

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" Lincoln asked.

"Not really," Lucy replied. "They're giving me 3-4 years, and that's it."

"You won't even make it to adolescence..." Lisa said, a distant look on her face.

Luna went over to hold her little sister's hand. "Heavy stuff you're layin' here, dude," she said, looking at Lucy sympathetically. "Aren't you afraid?" 

"Shrug," Lucy replied. "I think about death, afterlife, and my own mortality every day. I always wonder what will happen when I die, and prepare my soul for the afterlife. But I've never considered my death coming so soon, and I have no idea how to feel about it."

"You still have a couple more years," Lori said. "You don't have to feel anything about it yet. Just take the next few years slow and easy and make the most of every moment. And we'll all help make them the best years of your life."

"Thanks, Lori," Lucy said. "But it will be difficult to make the most of life on Earth when I know I'm going to die sooner than everyone else."

Lincoln walked over by Lucy and softly caressed her head. He swept her bangs out of her face, revealing Lucy's icy blue eyes, which showed more pain and fear in that moment than anyone had seen Lucy express in a lifetime.

"We'll do our best to help you through this," Lincoln said.

"We'll do literally everything we can," Lori added. She walked closer and placed Lily down on the hospital bed. Lily crawled closer to Lucy and wrapped her small arms around her. Lori, along with Lincoln, followed suit.

"You're our little sis," Luna said. "We'll be here for you till the end. No matter what." Luna joined in the hug, and soon, everyone else did as well. 

The Louds all stayed in this hug for quite a long time. All of them aside from Lily- who, despite seeming to know something was wrong, was still not quite old enough to know the gravity of the situation- quietly wept. Eventually, the kids settled their emotions and broke away from the hug.

"Thanks, guys," Lucy said. "I don't say this as often as I should, and I'm sorry for that, but I love you guys. All of you."

"We love you, too, Luce," Lori replied. "We don't show it _nearly_ as often as we should, but we have always loved you and we always will."

"Are you done with your talk yet, sweetie?" Rita asked Lucy, poking her head through the door. "I think a nurse is gonna be coming with your lunch soon."

Lucy poked her head up at the mention of lunch. Through all the emotion, she hadn't realized how hungry she was. She replied to her mother, "You can come in." Rita walked into the room, followed by her husband.

"Did you tell them?" Rita asked quietly.

"Yes," Lucy replied.

Rita turned to her other children. "You all understand what's happening, right?"

"We totally do, Mom," Lori replied. "And we'll make it through the next few years like we always do: As a family." The others nodded, agreeing with her.

"It will be a hard next few years," Lynn Sr. said. "Lucy won't just drop dead one day. She'll be on a slow and steady decline long before the years are up, and it won't be easy for her to go through, or for any of us to see. But you're absolutely right." He gave a small smile. "We will stick together and make it through as a family."

That was one of the upsides of living in a big family. If anyone was going through a problem, no matter how big or small, there wasn't any shortage of love and support. And while it didn't make everything better for Lucy or anyone else, it sure as hell was comforting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya go. Tried to make it as sad as I could, ha. Hope you liked it. Later!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, new chapter time! This one was pretty fun to write, so hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Also, I started school today, and that's _really_ gonna get in the way of writing. So updates are gonna change to Tuesday only instead of Tuesday and Saturday, and may become even more infrequent as the school year gets into full swing. But for now, every Tuesday. And if any of you are reading Hard Confessions, that's offically being placed on hiatus. 
> 
> Anyway, with that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter!

After two more rather boring and monotonous days in the hospital, Lucy was finally considered stable and well enough to go home. The nerves in her lungs were still intact enough for her to control her own breathing during the day, but she was given a BiPAP to wear to bed, as that's when she began to lose oxygen. She was also given a meter to keep on her at all times to make sure her oxygen and CO2 levels were where they should be. 

The Louds were very happy to see their sister come home, particularly Lynn. She had a lot of trouble sleeping by herself those two long nights. Maybe it was worrying about what would inevitably happen to Lucy, or maybe it was just not being used to being alone, or maybe a bit of both, but seeing the bed across from her empty gave her more chills than the dark and creepy girl who usually occupied it.

She didn't hesitate to make this known to Lucy when they went to bed that night. "It's good to have you back in here, Luce," she said. 

"It feels good to be back," Lucy replied. She walked over by her bed and lifted up Edwin. "I've missed you, my undead soulmate. We have _a lot_ to discuss." Lynn rolled her eyes and smiled at Lucy and Edwin's "conversation". 

"You can 'discuss' things with him in the morning," Lynn said. "You're going back to school tomorrow, right?"

"Yea," Lucy replied. 

"What are you gonna tell your classmates?" Lynn asked.

"Will they even care?" Lucy asked in response.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked.

"If you haven't noticed, Lynn," Lucy said, "I'm not the most socially acceptable person in the world. People in the class think I'm strange. They don't talk to me. Not that I care, but still."

"So they wouldn't care that you're _dying?_ " Lynn asked.

"They may be caught off guard," Lucy replied. "After all, regardless of social status, it's not an easy thing to hear. But I truly don't think they'll care. And that's the way I like it. It was already hard enough to see you guys crying over me. I don't need classmates doing the same."

"So, you're not gonna tell them?" Lynn asked.

"No," Lucy replied.

* * *

And she didn't. No one in the third grade class at Royal Woods Elementary School seemed to notice or acknowledge the return of their gothic classmate. Lucy, as said before, didn't mind, and at recess, sat alone under her favorite tree with a dark fiction novel and poetry book like she always did. 

"Lucy?" Lucy flinched at the sudden voice and looked up from her book at the boy standing in front of her.

"Rocky!" she said. "We haven't talked in a while."

"I know," Rocky replied. "But I heard you were in the hospital and wanted to see if you were alright. What happened?" Lucy looked down sadly. She hadn't thought her close friend and mutual crush would think of the situation. 

_How am I going to tell him?_ Lucy thought. They had a similar outlook on death and the afterlife, so he'd take it better than her siblings did. But it would still be hard for him to hear that his friend and crush would be moving to the next life long before he would be.

"It was just..." Lucy hesitated, thinking of what to say, "an... infection. I'm fine." _I'll tell him some other time._

"Okay," Rocky said, believing the lie and sitting next to Lucy. "So, other than that, how have you been?"

"Fine," Lucy replied. She picked up her book and showed it to Rocky. "I've been reading this series. It's super wicked."

" _Forbidden Desire_..." Rocky read out the title. "What's it about?"

"It's the tragic and dramatic love story between two vampires," Lucy told him. "The girl in the relationship gets a very rare and untreatable condition that causes her to lose her immortality and is slowly killing her, but is hiding it from the boy to keep him from falling apart over her." 

"Sounds cool, but I'm not that in to romance novels," Rocky said. 

"Suit yourself," Lucy said. "What about you?"

"Eh, the usual," Rocky replied. "Just playing video games, doing random crap with my brother, finding quality recipes for fake blood..."

"Cool," Lucy said. "Found any good ones?"

"Not any better ones than the one you showed me," Rocky replied. "Guess no one beats the best," he added with a smile.

Lucy smiled back. "If my Great Grandma Harriet were still alive, she would probably make it 10 times better."

"From what you've told me about her, sounds like she'd use _real_ blood," Rocky said.

"True," Lucy replied. After she said that, the two heard the ring of the bell. It was time to go back inside. Lucy grabbed her novel and notebook and followed Rocky back into the school. "Maybe you and your brother can come over after school and we can catch up some more."

"Maybe," Rocky replied. "I'll ask him. Bye, Luce."

"Bye, Rocky."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we need some Rucy (whether you're seeing it as platonic or romantic, up to interpretation!) to lighten the fic up a bit, so I added some. Hope y'all approve. Later!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Yea I didn't update at all last week, and, if you hadn't noticed by my profile description, I officially dropped the Tuesday update schedule. With me back in school, there's no way I can release quality stuff every week. But I had a sudden spark of inspiration that led to a near complete rewrite of this chapter which I spent about an hour or two on and honestly, I like this better. So hope you enjoy the (relatively)long awaited chapter 7!

Rocky and Rusty did come over to the Loud house after school that day, and while Lincoln and Rusty hung out with Clyde playing video games, Lucy and Rocky sat together in the vents. They talked about what morbid things they were up to since they last saw each other, what was going on at school, and annoying things their siblings did. During this time, Lucy actually forgot about how sick she was and had a genuinely good time.

"You know," she said to Rocky, "I've really missed talking to you. I never thought another mortal being could be so enjoyable to be around."

"Same here," Rocky responded with a smile. "You're probably one of the coolest people I've ever met." 

Lucy couldn't help but let her mouth slip into a small smile. "You, too," she said. "We should do this more often. Maybe I could teach you how to communicate with the spirits, or show you my skull collection."

"You're right," Rocky replied. "Sounds cool."

"Rocky!" The two heard Rusty call. "Where are you? Mom wants us home for dinner." 

"Welp, guess I gotta go," Rocky said, climbing through an opening. "See you some other time." Lucy waved as he went through the opening and out of sight.

"Such a fine young man." Lucy turned her head and saw the spirit of Great Grandma Harriet sitting next to her. "It's rare to see a mortal being who is so dark and gothic as you and I are."

"That's why we're friends," Lucy told her. "He's a perfect blend of dark and charming, just like Edwin."

"I enjoy watching you too," Harriet said. "It reminds me of when your great grandfather and I first met. He was so charming and- excuse my out of character language here- _dreamy._ His greased up hair and leather studs got the attention of a lot of young ladies back in then and admittedly, got my attention, too. But what _really_ made me like him was his interest in the dark and macabre."

"Like with me and Rocky," Lucy responded with a smile. The smile faded, however, and she looked down at her lap. "Except... We'll never have the future you and Great Grandpa Gary did. I mean, I might teach him to speak with spirits so we can stay in touch beyond my entrance into the spirit world, but still..."

"I didn't realize that fact bothered you that much," Harriet said. "Have you even told him?"

"No," Lucy muttered. "I lied and told him I was in the hospital for an 'infection'. I don't know if I want him to know the truth yet."

"He's going to find out eventually," Harriet pointed out. 

"I know," Lucy said. "But I just want to live a normal life with him. Just for the time I have left. He's the only one that can make me forget about my condition and the fact that I won't be around much longer. And if he knows, that comfort is lost."

"I didn't know you were that upset about this to begin with."

"I didn't think I would be, either," Lucy said. "But it's looming over me so soon, and I feel like there's still so much more to be done on Earth before I die. Not to mention how my family feels about it." 

"I remember a similar feeling when I was first told about my terminal cancer," Harriet said, a distant look on her face as she remembered. "I had lived beyond the average mortal lifespan, and it was my time, but still. I never showed it much until then, but I did love my family. And I especially had high hopes for you, Lucy. But I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach you to form the connection I have with you now."

"Do you think I'll be able to make the connection with my family?" Lucy asked. "Or Rocky?"

"I think you will," Harriet replied. "Just be patient and continue to learn, dear."

"Thanks, Great Grandma Harriet," Lucy said. "I think I'm going to go now. It's almost dinnertime."

"Goodbye, my great granddaughter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, this one was a tad shorter than usual, and I was gonna stretch it out a bit more, but there was nothing more I could really add. So, it is what it is.
> 
> I figured for storyline's sake I'd make Lucy's spirit talk real, so thus, Great Grandma Harriet is a character. I made her the way I always imagine her being in series. Oh, and Great Grandpa Greg=Lynn Sr's grandfather. You know, that 50's greaser who first owned the vanzilla?
> 
> Anyway, more chapters on their way. Later!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again, readers. I can't apologize enough for how little I've been updating lately. School distracts me, social life distracts me, and frankly, I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about this fic as I was when I began it. It's not that I don't enjoy writing it anymore, but it's becoming increasingly hard to bring myself to begin writing new chapters. I'll have a sudden burst of inspiration, write a chapter, and then be back to no motivation or creativity for a couple weeks.
> 
> Now, I can't say how often I'll be updating from here on out, but what I can promise is that I will write this fic to its end. The only way this fanfic will ever become dead is if I myself die. And same goes for Hard Confessions if any of you are also reading that. 
> 
> TL;DR, I'm sorry for slow updates, I've been having creative troubles, but you don't have to worry about this becoming a deadfic before it properly ends. Now then, read the damn chapter. You've been waiting like a month.

_1:35 am._

Lynn turned away from her clock and let out a frustrated groan. It was a big day for her tomorrow. Her soccer team was competing in the championship tournament. Lynn had been practicing all week and was fully prepared, but now another problem arose: She couldn't sleep. And it's hard to be your best at an all-day tournament when you didn't get much sleep.

_What's the matter with me tonight?_ she thought. She hadn't drank any of her energy drinks or coffee since that morning, and she had done her usual techniques to help her fall asleep, but she still felt more restless and antsy than she did that time she drank 5 energy drinks. 

Usually, if there were nights like this, Lynn would ask Lucy to read her something. Lucy may have been creepy and brooding, and the stories she told may have been a bit on the spooky side, but she also had an oddly soothing voice. It was almost like those ASMR videos Lori used to help her fall asleep, except in real life. 

But that night, Lucy wasn't there, but instead at the Royal Woods Children's Hospital again. Her condition had been stable for a few months, and if it hadn't been for the machine she had to be hooked up to every night, it would have been easy to forget that she was sick in the first place. But the day before, she had a seizure not long after coming home from school and was rushed to the hospital. The kids visited her for a couple hours that night and were assured that she'd be fine, and were then sent home under Lori's watch while Lynn Sr and Rita stayed with their daughter.

Lynn turned to look at her little sister's empty bed and let out a deep, quiet groan. She dragged herself out of her own bed and walked slowly to the other side of the room. Edwin was still on the nightstand, along with Lucy's book of poems and the novel she was reading. Lynn picked up the flashlight Lucy used for late night reading and took that and the book of poems over to her bed. She wasn't sure how long she was reading the dark themed poetry of her sister before sleep finally came over her.

* * *

"C'mon, Lynn, focus!" Lynn grumbled to herself as the soccer ball flew straight past her and towards the goal for the third time in a row. 

"What's the matter with you today?" one of her teammates shouted from another part of the field. "You're usually the team's star!"

"Sorry!" Lynn yelled back.

"Sorry don't cut it!" the teammate yelled. "This is only the first game in the tournament! Do you know how much we'll look like bozos if we lose this?"

"I know, I know..." Lynn sighed. 

Lynn turned what little focus she had back to the game. Margo kicked the ball towards her. She _had_ to get this one. Lynn narrowed her eyes, building up energy to finally kick the ball. She ran up and gave it the hardest kick she could.

She did actually kick the ball this time, however, instead of soaring toward the other team's goal, it soared towards the referee. Lynn put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes as the ball bounced hard off the ref's face. _Oh god..._

As Lynn opened her eyes again, she heard the coach blow his whistle. "Time out!" he shouted. The team gathered around their coach.

"I'm sorry, coach," Lynn said immediately. "I don't know what's up with me today. I've just been really distracted lately, and..."

Coach raised his hand in her face. "It's alright, Lynn. Just go sit on the benches, ok?" 

"Alright," Lynn muttered. She slowly made her way to the bench, head down. 

The coach came over to her after the game had continued again. "What's gotten into you today, Loud?" he asked. "You're usually our star player."

"I didn't sleep much last night," Lynn replied.

"Why not?"

Lynn just shrugged in response. "I'm usually not much of an insomniac. Maybe I just got pre-game stress."

"That doesn't seem like something you'd get to that extent," Coach said. 

"Well, I dunno then," Lynn simply said. 

"At any rate, maybe you should sit this game out," Coach said. 

"Alright..." Lynn groaned. She knew Coach was right, but it still bummed her out. She was the team's star player, and star players don't sit games out. Lynn slunk down in the bench and waited for the game to be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally chapter 8! Here's where I start focusing on how Lucy's condition is affecting the sisters and Lincoln. I've always liked Lynn and Lucy's relationship. Their relationship is one of my favorites in the show, second to only Lana and Lola's. So therefore, I began with what I'd probably enjoy writing the most.
> 
> I figure Lynn would probably be the one to bury her feelings until they start to affect her subconsciously, like causing her to lose sleep. And believe me, these effects will only get worse from here.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter coming at some point in the future. Later!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!!! AFTER SEVEN LONG MONTHS, THIS FIC IS FINALLY BACK!!!!! Yea, school got out for me on the 21st, so I've been kind of clear of distractions and anything keeping me busy, which has in turn lit up my inspiration for this story once again. I've been writing random parts of this story like crazy for the past two weeks, and chapter 9 is _finally ready!_ Can you believe it? Well, you better believe it, cause here it is.

To say Lynn was pissed after the tournament would be an understatement. 

After the games were done, her performance not getting any better and her team ultimately getting creamed, she asked Lori to drive her home rather than to the hospital with the others and she immediately destroyed every unimportant thing she could find. Paper was torn, glass was smashed, and walls were punched until her knuckles began to bleed. 

"I'm such a dumbass!" she shouted. "I let my team down, I let myself down... I let everyone down!" She continued to break things before finally growing exhausted, going up to her room, and collapsing on her bed. 

"Why couldn't I just play like I always do?" she asked herself, tears beginning to form. She grabbed her football from her nightstand and hugged it like a teddy bear, starting to cry in frustration with herself.

* * *

The rest of the family sans Lucy and Rita, who was staying with her, returned an hour later. Lincoln, knowing how upset Lynn was after the tournament, went upstairs to his sister's room.

He knocked on the door in front of the staircase. "Lynn?" 

"Go away!" Lincoln heard her shout from inside. 

"Look, Lynn, we all have bad days," Lincoln said. "Like Dad says, we can't win 'em all."

"Why did it have to be the _championship tournament_ , though?" Lynn asked angrily. "If it were just a stupid playground game, or a game that didn't mean much to our status, I wouldn't even care. But this was the fucking championship, bro! I blew it for my whole team!"

"I know, I know," Lincoln said. "Do you know why you weren't up to your best today?"

"I didn't sleep very good," Lynn replied quietly. 

"You didn't sleep good?" Lincoln repeated, already beginning to suspect exactly why.

"Yea," Lynn responded. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you maybe..." Lincoln began with a small smile, "missing someone?"

Lynn got up and opened the door, an irritated look on her face. "Am I sad for Lucy and worried about her? Yes. But do I need my eight year old sister here to coddle me until I fall asleep? No. She's not dead yet, Lincoln."

"So, you're not that upset about it yet?" Lincoln asked.

"No, it doesn't do any good," Lynn replied. She slammed her door again. "Now go away, loser."

"Okay." Lincoln walked away, unconvinced.

* * *

Lucy, meanwhile, laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. This was only the second time she had been to the hospital since that terrible Saturday morning, but she already hated the fact that she was going to have to get used to the fluorescent lights and smell of anti-bacterial cleaning supplies. 

She also hated the boredom that came with being there. Growing up in a house full of 10 noisy siblings and moving to a quiet hospital where the only real noises were the beeping of machines and the distant cries of sick babies made her restless and longing for home and her family. This was eased a little when her siblings visited, but came back immediately after they left. 

"So," Rita broke the silence, "do you want to order some food?" 

"I'm not that hungry for dinner yet," Lucy replied. "Could I maybe go to the vending machine and get a bottle of water, though? I'm thirsty and I'm kinda sick of sitting here."

"Okay, honey," Rita said. She fished a dollar out of her purse and gave it to her daughter. "Get me a Gatorade, too."

"Okay," Lucy replied, taking the money. She went out of her room into the hallway, where the sounds of children crying got louder. 

"I don't _want_ to get an IV put in, Mommy!" she heard a little boy shout as she walked by the rooms.

"I can order food myself, Dad!" she heard a teenage girl say from another room. 

"Place is real shitty, huh?" Lucy jumped a bit and turned her head to see a boy in a wheelchair approach her. He had wavy black hair that hung over his shoulders and covered one of his dark blue eyes, and was wearing a faded T-shirt for _Spirit of Black_ , one of Lucy's favorite bands. "I've been here for a week now, but I'm set to go home soon."

"I've been here since yesterday," Lucy said. 

"What are you in for?" the boy asked.

"Terminal genetic defect," Lucy replied. "Can't remember the name of it, but it's kind of torturous."

"I've got muscular dystrophy," the boy said. "And it's pretty torturous, too." He reached out a shaky hand to Lucy. "My name is Brendan. What's yours?"

"Lucy," she said, shaking his hand awkwardly. "I see you like _Spirit of Black_. They're my favorite band. I relate to their poetic lyrics about the world we live in."

"Same," Brendan said, a friendly smirk taking over his face.

The pair both stopped at where the vending machine was. Lucy put the dollar in and got a bottle of water for herself and a Gatorade for her mother. Brendan followed and bought himself a Coke. 

"So, you say what you've got is terminal," Brendan said as they made their way back down the hall. "How long you got?"

"The doctors say 3-4 years," Lucy replied. 

"They say I've got about that long, too," Brendan said. "I just can't wait to join the spirits."

"I _thought_ that would be how I felt towards death, too," Lucy said back, looking down. "I like spirits. I even talk to them a lot. But... I still kind of value my mortal life. There's my best friend Rocky, my ten siblings..."

"Ten siblings?" Brendan asked, raising his eyebrow. "Good lord. I thought dealing with _two_ was bad."

"Yea, my house is full of noise and chaos at every turn," Lucy said. "But with the little bit of feeling I have, I love them. And seeing them worrying about me isn't very pleasant."

"I guess," Brendan replied. He turned his wheelchair towards a room. "Well, this is my room. See ya, Lucy."

"Bye, Brendan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel every dying character fanfiction has to have at least one fellow dying OC in it, doesn't it? Well, he'll of course be back in future chapters. Which, I assure you, you won't have to wait over half a year for anymore! I can't promise a consistent update schedule anymore, but trust me, you won't have to wait that long anymore. Later!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Back again with another chapter. This one features a character that I actually totally forgot about when planning this fic initially... Whoops. This chapter originally was wayyyy different, but I like this better. Hope you guys like it, too.

Lucy fiddled with her new medical alert bracelet as she walked into school the day after getting out of the hospital. She hoped that none of her classmates would ask about it, lest she told them what it was for. 

"Hey, Lucy," Rocky greeted at the doorway to the school. "What's that for?" he asked, pointing to the bracelet and dashing Lucy's hopes.

"Medical alert bracelet," Lucy mumbled back. _No point in lying about what it is, I guess..._

"What's it for?" Rocky asked, a worried expression taking over his face. 

"Epilepsy," she replied. No use lying about what it was for, either. What she didn't tell him, though, was that it was caused by the genetic defect doing more damage to her body.

"Sorry to hear that," Rocky said. "My cousin Rick has that."

"It's fine," Lucy muttered. 

The two walked through the halls as Lucy stopped in front of her locker and slowly shoved her backpack inside. Rocky stopped next to her.

"I watched this video the other day about a couple that's living past 100 and running a seance business," he told her excitedly. 

"Oh," Lucy said, half-heartedly acting interested. 

"All I could think of was how perfect that would be for us to do as a living!" Rocky exclaimed. "Just imagine it: You and me, living well into our hundreds, living life talking with ghosts and enabling others to do the same! Doesn't it sound gr-" He paused as Lucy slammed her locker shut. "You ok, Luce?" he asked.

"Fine," Lucy replied. "Just... need to go to the bathroom." She walked away from Rocky, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She entered the girl's room and entered a stall, knocking her head down against the door. "Groan..."

Haiku heard the groan as she went out to wash her hands. "Lucy?" 

"Hey, Haiku," Lucy mumbled.

"You sound more unhappy than usual," Haiku said. "What's wrong?"

"How would you feel if you found out your days were numbered?" Lucy asked. 

Haiku blinked in surprise. "I would be happy to join the spirits above," she replied. "But I have always wanted to live past 100. It's been my dream to be immortal, and that's the closest I could get. Why?"

Lucy walked out of the stall and to her friend. She hesitated for a moment.

"Lucy?" 

"Haiku, you're one of the only people at this school who I'd ever consider a friend," Lucy said. "I think you should know what I'm about to tell you." 

"Wait, are you..." Haiku began, her usually deadpan face showing a bit of shock.

Lucy nodded grimly, already knowing what she was going to finish with. "Three or four years is what they say I have left."

"What's wrong with you?" Haiku asked, her voice breaking its monotone and showing some concern. 

"Genetic condition that's basically wrecking my entire body" Lucy replied. "I always thought I'd welcome death with open arms. But that was when I thought it would happen after I had lived a full life. Not before I'm even a teenager. And now, I'm excited, angry, anxious, sad..."

"I get that," Haiku said. "The idea of death excites me, but I can't imagine going through it so early in life." 

"I couldn't either," Lucy said back. "And now Rocky is going on about how he wants to start a seance business with me and live with me into our hundreds..." 

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Lucy," Haiku said, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. 

"I don't know what to do," Lucy muttered.

"About Rocky?" 

"About anything," Lucy replied. Lucy's voice slowly got more emotional as she continued. "Leaving my family, leaving you and Rocky, leaving my other friends, not being able to accomplish anything I wanted to before passing on... But on the other hand, the spirits welcome me with open arms, and I've looked forward to being with them. 

"I've looked at death in such a positive light for so long. But how can I look at what's taking me away too soon in a positive light? What will even happen to me? Will it be sudden like a light flickering out? Will it be like falling asleep? Will it be painful? Will I see the spirits?

"I'm sad, angry, terrified... Everything. And I feel like ripping my hair out." Lucy frustratedly slumped over her head onto the wall. 

Haiku gazed at Lucy, taking the contents of their conversation in. Haiku, too, began to question her love of death. Lucy had been her best friend since she was in second grade and Lucy was in kindergarten, and she never really thought about what her life would be like without her around. Could she really like what would be taking her friend long before her time? 

"Calm down, Lucy," Haiku softly told the younger girl. "I get what you're feeling. Honestly, if I had a heart, it would be breaking for you. You're the closest friend I've got. I don't want to lose you just as much as you don't want to die. But it's inevitable, as death always is, so you just have to look at it with dignity, just like our fallen ancestors and spiritual companions once did. And I'll always be here to vent to, or help if I can."

"Thanks, Haiku," Lucy said. "I knew you'd understand."

The bell rang, signaling for the students to get in their respective classrooms if they weren't already. Lucy and Haiku exited the bathroom, going off towards the third grade and fifth grade rooms, respectively. 

"Remember, you can talk to me anytime," Haiku said as she walked down the hall.

_Well, I'm glad Haiku knows now,_ Lucy thought, _but I still haven't told Rocky..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing Haiku in this chapter to be honest. Just a supportive, helpful, and understanding friend beneath the dark and gloomy exterior. Just like Lucy. Hope you guys enjoyed, more chapters comin your way sooooon. Later!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, and welcome to another chapter thingy. This chapter was honestly a pain in the ass to write. To all my fellow writers here, you know when you have a sentence that you stare at for hours on end like "something is absolute garbage about this sentence, but I don't know what it is..." That was me but with pretty much the entire chapter. But it's here now, so reeeeaaaadddd iiiiitttt.

Haiku walked into Mrs Johnson's room, shaken by her conversation with Lucy. Death had always been so fascinating to her, but not when it was going to take her friend. But she had always known this had a chance of happening. 

"Death is just as fascinating as it is dark and mysterious," her father, who she shared her gothic traits with, had told her when she was younger. "But remember this, my dear. It doesn't discriminate. Anyone can be taken from this earth at any time without hesitation. Even those who we allow ourselves to be close to." 

"Yes, father," Haiku had responded. She hadn't paid too much attention at the time, and recalled spending the entire discussion daydreaming and fantasizing about her undead lover and wondering what was going to happen on the next episode of _Vampires of Melancholia._

But now, her father's words rang in her mind like a bell as she floated towards the desk of Lincoln Loud, who she hadn't really spoken to since she was unsuccessfully set up with him for the Sadie Hawkin's dance. But in that moment, he was the person she needed to talk to more than anyone else. 

As Haiku approached his desk, Clyde, who was sitting next to him, looked up. "Hey, Haiku."

"Hi, Clyde," Haiku said back. "Do you mind if I switch seats with you for today? I really need to talk to Lincoln about something."

"Oh, um, alright," Clyde responded, a bit surprised. He lifted his stuff off his desk and walked over to where Haiku usually sat as she took his place next to Lincoln.

"What do you need to talk with me about?" Lincoln asked. 

Haiku leaned in and whispered, "It's about Lucy. I found her in the bathroom a few minutes ago upset, and when I asked why, she told me about her... condition."

"Oh..." Lincoln responded. He felt his stomach drop a bit at the mention of his little sister's illness that would eventually cause her death. 

"I just need someone to talk to about it," Haiku said softly, a forlorn expression slipping onto her usually emotionless face. "She's my best friend. And you're the only one I really know that knows of what's going on with her. How do you deal with something like that? She's your sister..."

"The easiest thing to do for me is just focus on other things," Lincoln replied. "Instead of dwelling on Lucy, I just tell myself that she's not dead yet and it'll still be a while before she is, and I take a deep breath and continue with life like I normally would. What else can you do?" 

"I _can't_ continue life like I normally would," Haiku said. "How can I think about death and mortality when someone I'm close to is dying? How can I go to Morticians' Club meetings when we're probably gonna end up directing the funeral of one of our top members in a matter of years? Everything I do in my life will trace back to her fate now."

"You can't let it eat up your life," Lincoln stated. "She wouldn't want it to. I don't really know what to tell you, but you need to let your life go on. I know it's hard, but it's what me and the rest of my family has had to and will have to do, and it's what you have to do, too." He sympathetically smiled at her.

"Thanks, Lincoln," Haiku said. "I'll try my best. I think I'm gonna skip Morticians' Club today, though. I just can't do it today." 

"That's always fine," Lincoln told her. "I'll cover for you if you need me to." 

"Thanks," Haiku said. 

"No problem," Lincoln replied. "You know, it actually feels kinda nice to talk about this whole thing with someone other than my sisters."

"I feel better talking about it with someone in general," Haiku stated. 

"Well, if you ever need to talk about it again, I'm always available," Lincoln said. "You have my number, right?"

"Yea," Haiku replied. "Thank you so much, Lincoln."

"Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "oMg YoU pUt A hAmIlToN rEfErEnCe LoL xD!!1!" Yes I did, now fuck off. 
> 
> Anyway, Haiku is a good character that needs to be shown more in the series proper. You can't change my mind. You just can't.
> 
> I feel like the chapters I've been uploading since I ended the long hiatus have been better in quality than the pre-hiatus ones, including this one, hard as it was to write. I guess grade 9 English really did help me better my writing a bit. Or they actually aren't better in quality. I dunno, do you guys think I've been doing better? I like when I receive ya criticisms and I've been getting more of those lately. So, keep commenting pl0x. Later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Back with chapter 12, which was, fun fact, originally intended to be out about a week ago. Oops. :v
> 
> But two things to say about this chapter:  
> 1\. This went through three or four different drafts before I finally wrote this one and was happy with it. Overall this chapter was the one that took the longest to finalize, and it has many deleted scenes and different lines.  
> 2\. This is the last chapter focusing on Haiku for now. After this, we'll start focusing on Lucy again, and then the sisters and Lincoln.
> 
> That being said, hope you enjoy!

"Are you sure you don't wanna go?" Lincoln asked. 

"Yes, I'm sure," answered Haiku. "I already texted my father and told him I wasn't feeling well." 

"Alright," Lincoln responded. "I'll text Lucy." 

"I still don't understand how she can go to morticians' club meetings," Haiku said. "After all, she's the one dying."

"Maybe she just doesn't want to concern anyone," Lincoln replied. "Or maybe she wants to prepare herself. I don't know."

Haiku shrugged and walked out the door to wait for her father, sitting on the staircase. The day was overcast, threatening to pour the rain of late spring at any moment. She looked at her phone, and saw two new texts from Lucy.

**Where are you? The meeting starts soon.**

**Nevermind. Lincoln told me. Are you gonna be ok?**

Haiku, glad Lucy believed the lie, texted back:

**I'm fine. I just have a bit of a headache.**

As she put her phone back, she saw Rusty Spokes walking down the steps, followed by his brother Rocky. 

"Hey, you're Haiku, right?" the younger brother asked. "Hey. I'm-" 

"Rocky Spokes, I know," Haiku interrupted. "I figured since you're walking with Rusty, and you two are clearly brothers. Also, Lucy's told me a lot about you." 

"She has?" Rocky asked, blushing. He shook his head a bit and said, "I mean, uh, yea. I kinda wanna talk to you about Lucy for a sec." 

"What about her?"

"Well," Rocky began, "she's been acting kinda funny lately. I brought up some future plans to her this morning, and she ran off, and she's seemed kinda distant ever since."

"Well, I don't know what's going on," Haiku answered awkwardly. 

"She was at the hospital over the weekend," Rocky said, gazing up in thought. "It was just for epilepsy, but I dunno, maybe something happened. And she was there a few months ago, too, so maybe-"

"No!" Haiku replied, a bit more loudly than what she intended. "I mean, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," she said more calmly.

"Eh, if you say so," Rocky responded with a shrug. 

"Come on, Rock, let's go," Rusty called from the bottom of the steps, holding their bikes. "Mom's gonna be worried." Rocky waved goodbye to Haiku and followed his brother away from the school.

Just then, a black hearse pulled up in front of the school, driven by a man with long raven-colored hair and a stern expression on his face. Haiku climbed into the passenger's seat of the vehicle.

"Good afternoon, Haiku," her father, Nathanael Edwards, greeted in a stern, deep voice. "I have prepared medicinal treatments at home for whatever ailment you may be enduring." 

"Thank you, Father," Haiku replied, buckling in her seatbelt. "But I think I'll be fine. I'll just need some rest." 

"Noted," Nathanael said as he drove away.

* * *

The Edwards household was a large Dutch colonial, painted black, of course. Nathanael pulled into the driveway behind his wife Emma's silver hybrid. 

The difference between the couples' vehicles also symbolized their great differences. Many found it strange that they were even together, but Haiku had known from the way her parents interacted that they were living proof of the "opposites attract" theory. Nathanael was quiet, stoic, and gothic, just like Haiku, while Emma was hyperactive and wore her heart on her sleeve. 

"Hi, Nate," Emma greeted her husband as he walked in the door with Haiku. She was the only person in the world Nathanael allowed to call him "Nate". 

Nathanael greeted his wife back with a kiss on the cheek. "Greetings, darling." He then went up to his room, presumably to work on a new poem. 

"And hello to you, Haiku," Emma chirped with a grin painted on her face. "Your dad said you weren't feeling good. Are you ok?" She put her hand on her daughter's forehead, feeling for a fever. 

"Yes, I'm fine," Haiku replied, gently pushing away her mother's hand. "Physically, anyway." 

"Why didn't you go to your little morticians' club meeting today, then?" Emma asked. 

"Well..." Haiku sat down and let out a sigh. "It's about Lucy."

"Lucy Loud?" Emma thought of Haiku's younger friend, who was just like her daughter in every way. She had often come over to the Edwards' house to write poems or make morbid props with Haiku. Emma hadn't known her too well, but Lucy had always seemed like a nice kid to her. "Don't tell me you two got into a fight. I'm sure whatever it is, you girls can work it out." 

"We didn't get into a fight," Haiku said. "It's something else." 

Emma looked at Haiku's face. She had a distant look in her eyes, as if she was communicating with one of the spirits she had talked about so much. "What is it then, honey?" she asked.

Haiku paused for a few moments, taking deep breaths and beginning to struggle to keep her stoic expression. "She's dying, Mother," she finally answered. "She's dying, and I can't go to that club when I know that." 

"Oh..." Emma looked at Haiku in shock, slowly absorbing the information. Lucy Loud, one of the most well known members of the young morticians' club and her daughter's best friend, was dying. "Haiku, I-I don't know what to say..." 

"I've always looked at death as an uplifting force and something humans should embrace," Haiku began to vent, her voice betraying more emotion than what Emma had ever heard from her before. "But why does it have to take her? And why so soon? She's the one mortal aside from you and Father I've ever connected with, and I talked with Lincoln, but even after talking to him, I still don't know what to do or how to deal with it."

Emma looked sympathetically at Haiku. She was usually reserved, calm, and impassive, just like her father, not to mention quite mature for a fifth grader. But at that moment, she looked small and helpless as if she were a little girl, and her eyes were filled with tears threatening to burst out at any moment. 

"I know how much this probably hurts, kid," Emma said softly, pulling her daughter into a hug. Haiku sank straight into her arms, burying her face in her mother's shoulders. "You were way too young to remember this, but back when you were maybe two or three, one of your father's closest friends he had since he was about your age died from complications of diabetes. He was more emotional then than I had ever seen him before. 

"And he questioned his outlook on death and darkness then, too. But he knew deep down that his friend would always be with him, watching over him with the spirits above he had grown so close to. And Lucy will be watching over you, too." 

"Thanks, Mom," Haiku whispered, barely keeping herself together. 

"Oh, and one more thing," Emma added with a sad smile. "One thing your father had to learn, too, is that it's ok to cry about things like this." 

Haiku looked up in response, eyes still wet. She nodded before sinking back into her mother's embrace, sobs escaping her throat and tears flooding down her face. Emma simply hugged her even tighter, resting her head on top of hers.

* * *

At around 4:30, Lucy walked into the Loud family's house with Lori, who had picked her up, and Lynn, who had baseball practice at the same time.

"Finally gettin' my game back!" Lynn exclaimed, pumping her fist. "Coach says I'll be a star once again this summer."

"That's great, honey," Rita said, greeting her children at the doorway. As Lori went up to her room and Lynn rushed over to the couch to watch a game that was on, she came closer to Lucy. "Are you feeling alright? Did anything happen? Any seizures?" 

"No, everything was fine, Mom," replied Lucy.

"Good, good," Rita responded. "Sorry, sweetie. I just worry about you." 

Lucy nodded and went up to her room, putting her backpack down next to her bed, and then immediately went to her next destination: Lincoln's room. "Hey, Lincoln." 

Lincoln jumped a few feet in the air, as he usually did, before smiling and responding, "Hey, Luce. What's up?" 

"What was the real reason Haiku didn't come to the morticians' club meeting today?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through about three different ideas on what Haiku's family would be like in the story, and overall this was the one I was most happy with. I'm not entirely sure where her parents names or the last name Edwards came from, but I thought they fit, so they stayed.
> 
> I hope to get chapter 13 out on August 19, which is, of course, this fanfic's one year anniversary (huh. 2017 me expected a whole lot more than 13 chapters to be released by the first anniversary, but eh, 2017 me also didn't expect school to kick my ass as much), but I don't know if it'll happen, with four other fics I need to tend to. That being said, I do generally have an idea for how the next chapter will go, so we'll see what happens. Later!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One year ago today, I decided to make a fanfic based off an idea that had been sitting in my mind for over a year. It's now 13 chapters long, far less than what I would have liked to have out by now but it's no big, and while it isn't nearly the most popular fic in the world, it did end up with more love than what I thought it would get. And here I post chapter 13. Enjoy, and here's to a more productive year ahead.

Lincoln blinked a few times in surprise, struggling to answer Lucy's question. "Um, what do you mean?" 

"It seems awfully suspicious that after months of you two not talking since the dance, she'd suddenly confide in you that she felt too sick to come to a morticians' club meeting," replied Lucy. "Especially after telling her what I told her this morning." 

"Alright, fine," Lincoln sighed, closing his bedroom door. "She skipped it because she can't stand to go when she knows you're... you know." He hesitated to utter the word "dying", as if refusing to acknowledge it would change what was happening. 

"Great," Lucy said, curling her hands into fists and sitting against the wall of Lincoln's room. "Just what I wanted. My best friend skipping out on things that are important to her because of me." 

"Lucy-" 

"This is the worst part about all of this," Lucy muttered. "I hate going to morticians' club nowadays, but if I don't, the other members would want to know why. Then I'd have to tell them, too. Then they'd be like Haiku is now. I can't stand it. I should have never told her."

"I tried to tell her to go on normally," Lincoln said, sitting next to Lucy. "I know it's what you want. But I don't really blame her for having trouble with that." 

"Me neither," replied Lucy. "At least I still have one person I'm close to still blissfully unaware of the situation." She pulled out her cell phone and brought up Rocky's contact page. 

"When are you going to tell him?" Lincoln asked. 

"I dunno," Lucy answered, sighing dejectedly. "He has dark interests, but he's nowhere as into death as Haiku is, and if she took it so hard, I don't want to see how he'll take it."

"You can't hide it from him forever," Lincoln told her. 

"I know," Lucy stated. "It's just that I have 13 people mourning over my fate now, and I'm not ready to bring that number up." 

"I've never seen you care so much about other people," said Lincoln with a bittersweet smile. 

"I always have," Lucy responded, returning the small smile. "I always say I don't have a heart, but really, I have always loved and cared about you guys. It's almost harder when I think about leaving all of you than it is to come to terms with the thing I previously loved taking me so early in life." 

"Are you scared?" Lincoln asked. 

"Scared, angry, sad, confused..." Lucy replied, repeating to him the same emotions she told Haiku she was feeling. "As I said, I hate going to morticians' club now. I hate thinking about death now, because it only makes me think about my own coming before I can do anything with my time on Earth." 

Lincoln gave his sister a hug in response, which she returned, burying her head in his chest. "I can't pretend to know how hard all of this is for you." 

"What about you?" Lucy asked, lifting her head up. "When I die, will you miss me, Lincoln?" 

Lincoln looked at her as if she had grown a seperate head. "Of course I'll miss you!" he exclaimed. "Why would you even ask that? We'll all miss you. We cried when we first found out. I love you, Luce. So much. And so does everyone else." He tightened his embrace.

"I love you, too," Lucy said, a tear starting to run down your face. 

"I'm your big brother, Lucy," Lincoln told her. "I'm supposed to be the strong one. The one that protects you and my other little sisters from anything that tries to hurt them. And now, something's taking you away that-" he sniffed, and a tear began to run down his cheek, which he wiped away- "that I can't get rid of no matter what I do." 

"Please don't cry..." Lucy held back her own tears, putting her head back down. "If you cry, I'm probably gonna end up crying, and I'm not in the mood for that."

"Sorry," responded Lincoln, taking a deep breath and breaking off from the hug. "It's just that I've never talked about this one on one with you before, and I guess now that I am, the emotions are coming out." 

"I wonder how everyone else is taking it," Lucy said. 

"Well, last time you were at the hospital, Lynn was having trouble sleeping," Lincoln replied. "The lack of sleep is what made her lose that soccer championship."

"Really?" Lucy's head piped up in concern.

"Yea," Lincoln answered. "She denied that it had anything to do with you, but I didn't really believe her. Maybe you could go talk to her about that." 

"I think I should," Lucy said. She got up and walked out of Lincoln's room. "Thanks for the talk." Lincoln gave her a thumbs up as she walked to her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's where we get into how Lucy's illness is affecting the rest of the Louds. We've already gotten a glimpse of Lynn, but the next chapter will go much more in depth. Speaking of which, chapter 14 should be posted by the end of the week, as it's already about halfway done and I know how I want the rest of it to be. But until then, later!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So this is the longest chapter I've written for this fic thus far. There was a lot more I wanted to show in this chapter. As was made clear by the end of chapter 13, this chapter is focused on Lynn. The Loud sister I constantly flip flop between loving and hating. Hhhhhhh. Anyway, here we go.

Lucy peered inside her bedroom. Lynn's bed was empty, but after a few moments, the jock girl came running in at full speed. 

"I can't wait for our first baseball game this Saturday!" Lynn yelled as she jumped on her bed. "After a bad end to soccer season, I need a good start to my next sport." 

"That bad end to your soccer season is what I wanted to talk to you about," Lucy said, walking in the room and sitting on her own bed. "Lincoln said you had trouble sleeping last time I was in the hospital, and that's why you couldn't play your game right." 

"Yea," Lynn sighed, still mentally punching herself for her performance in that game. "Sorry I didn't come to visit you that night, Luce. I was just super upset." 

"Can you tell me _why_ you were having trouble sleeping that night?" asked Lucy. 

"I have no idea," Lynn replied. "I didn't even have any extra energy drinks that day. There was no reason I shouldn't have been able to sleep."

"I've read about things like this before," Lucy stated. She held up her book _Forbidden Desire._ "The main character, Lezabel, has lost her immortality. One of her companions who knows of this holds back their feelings, pretending that everything is fine. Their subconscious mind crumbles and they lose sleep and suffer nightmares. Sound familiar?" 

"What?" Lynn asked, turning over and facing her sister. "No way. Look at you. Yea, you have the disorder thing they told us about, but you're still in somewhat decent health. Why should I be sad at this point? You've still got a few years left."

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive," responded Lynn with a calm smile. She suddenly got up and walked briskly towards the door. "Don't worry about me, kid. I'm fine." 

"If you say so," Lucy said as Lynn shut the door.

Lynn walked down the stairs swiftly, making a beeline for the door. _I gotta get out of here..._ She reached for the doorknob, but was interrupted by Lori, who was on the couch with Leni watching a rerun of _Dessert Storm._

"What do you think you're doing?" 

"Just, uh, going outside for a bit," Lynn replied. "Margo and I wanted to make sure we can still play baseball good in the rain in case one of our games ends up getting rained on." 

"You do realize that Mom and Dad will literally kill you if they find out you've been in the rain, right?" Lori asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lynn grabbed the umbrella from next to the door. "I'll take the umbrella. And I'll only be a little bit." 

"Whatever," Lori responded, turning her head back to the TV. "But don't say I didn't warn you." 

Lynn immediately went out the door and put up her umbrella. Her calm and cool smile faded away fast, replaced with a forlorn, solemn expression. _Maybe Lucy's right._

But how was she supposed to avoid more sleepless nights if that were the case? Was she supposed to let herself grow weak and break down? Because if there was one thing she learned in all the sports she played in her life, it was that she had to stay strong through everything and keep her head in the game no matter what, and that's exactly what she intended to do.

Still, though, the conversation brought Lynn's mind back to what she had to stay strong through in the first place. She was the protective, strong sister in the Loud family. The sister who was supposed to tear apart and clobber anyone who dared try to harm her siblings. But no matter what, there was no tearing apart and clobbering terminal illness. Lynn kicked a pebble on the sidewalk in frustration.

* * *

_"Here it comes, Lynn!"_

_Lynn stood intently in front of the makeshift goal she, Margo, and Polly Pain had formed with two sticks jutting out of the ground. She had come to the park with her mother had her younger siblings. Lincoln was climbing trees with other boys, Lucy sat below a different tree to read a book, the twins played in a sandbox, and Rita was sitting on a bench with baby Lisa._

_"I've got this," Lynn said, bracing herself for the ball. As it soared through the air, she gave it a fervent kick. "Yea! Lynn Loud, master goalie!"_

_Margo and Polly gave Lynn high fives, which she gladly accepted. "Who's turn is it for goalie now?" she asked._

_"Eh, let's take a break," Polly replied. "I need to get my water bottle."_

_"Will do," responded Lynn. She scoped the park, seeing how all her siblings were doing. Lincoln was laughing at the top of the tree with another boy, Lisa was fast asleep in her mother's arms, and the twins had thrown about half of the sandbox's contents onto the ground. What caught her eye, however, was Lucy. She still sat under the tree, but was surrounded by older kids, pointing and laughing. Lynn immediately walked over towards the scene._

_"Hey, weirdo," one of the children taunted. "Are you under that tree because you burn up in the sun?" The rest of the group laughed._

_"No," Lucy answered angrily, but with hurt evident in her voice. "I just like the shade."_

_"They're selling garlic knots over at the food stand," another kid teased. "Want some?" The kids erupted into laughter once more._

_"What do you think you losers are doing?" Lynn asked through gritted teeth with clenched fists._

_"Who are you?" one kid asked._

_"Lynn Loud. Captain of the Royal Woods Elementary football _and_ hockey team. Black belt in karate." She rolled up her sleeve. "I'm also that 'weirdo's' older sister." _

_The kids lost their smug expressions and immediately looked uneasy. All except for one of them. "Come on, don't be afraid of her, guys," he said. "She's just a girl."_

_Lynn immediately lifted him up by the shirt collar, which melted off his smug face as well. "Are you sure about that?"_

_"U-uh..." the boy responded._

_"Don't. Mess. With. My. Siblings. Understand?"_

_"I-I understand," the boy choked out._

_Lynn threw him on the ground. "Good. Now beat it." The kids ran off as fast as their young legs could carry them, and Lynn sat down next to Lucy._

_"Thanks, Lynn," Lucy said._

_"Anytime, Luce."_

* * *

"Lynn?" 

Lynn looked over where the voice was coming from and saw Margo, standing outside her door across the street from where she was. Lynn ran across the street. "Um, hey." 

"What are you doing out here in the rain?" Margo asked. "And why are you crying?" 

"Crying? What do you-" Lynn blinked and suddenly became aware of the water running down her face despite carrying an umbrella. She wiped the salty tears from her face quickly. "Eh, just a bunch of shit going on in my life that I didn't want to deal with in front of the family." 

"What's the matter?" questioned Margo. 

"Mind if I come in?" Lynn asked back. 

"Uh, sure," Margo answered. She opened the door further and allowed Lynn to pass through. She closed her umbrella and sat it next to the door. 

"What up, Lynn-sanity?" Margo's father asked, walking out of the living room. 

"No thanks, Mr. Rodgers," responded Lynn. "I need to talk to Margo for a bit." 

"Will do, kiddo." Mr. Rodgers walked up the staircase. 

"So, what's on your mind?" Margo asked, plopping down on the couch. 

"So, about a month or so ago, one of my sisters went to the hospital," she explained, sitting next to her friend. "She wasn't breathing and looked really sick all of a sudden, so we called an ambulance. And it turns out it's worse than we could have imagined." 

"So are you saying she's dying?"

Lynn nodded. "I've been trying to stay strong, but it gets hard sometimes. And I'm afraid I'm already starting to crack, and that's why I couldn't sleep and did so bad at the soccer championship." 

"That's some heavy stuff, dude," Margo said. "I don't know what to tell you. But maybe you can have some kind of outlet."

"Like what?" asked Lynn. 

"Well, wanna spar?" Margo asked back. "It might help you let some steam off." 

"I'm not gonna spar you out in the rain," Lynn responded. 

"Let's just do it in here," Margo suggested. "My dad won't mind." She got up and into a fighting stance. "Just fight me. Pretend I'm whatever disease your sister's got." 

Lynn shrugged and also got into a fighting stance. "Alright, fine."

"Let's go!" Margo yelled. Lynn quickly thought of Lucy, and did what Margo said to do. She quickly felt the rage and sadness build up inside of her. She may not have been able to protect Lucy from her fate, but this was the next best thing. 

Lynn let out a battle cry and charged at Margo full force, giving her fervent punches to the stomach that she blocked. "That's it, Lynn," she said. "Give me all you've got." 

Lynn continued to punch and kick with all of her strength, but each strike was successfully dodged by Margo. Margo didn't attempt to strike back, only dodging Lynn's hits and kicks.

Finally, Lynn threw a punch to her friend's shoulder that wasn't blocked. She then kicked her in the stomach, and grabbed a hold of her as she was caught off guard and pinned her on the ground. 

"There you go," Margo said. "Feel better?" 

"Kinda," replied Lynn. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Margo responded. 

Lynn got up off the floor, helping Margo up ass well. "It's almost dinnertime. I better get home." 

"You want a ride?" Margo asked. "My dad can drive you so you don't have to walk in the rain."

"Sure."

* * *

As Lori had told her, the moment Lynn walked in the door she was met with Rita angrily asking her why she was outside in the pouring rain. Lynn gave her excuses and assured her mother that she had the umbrella and went upstairs. 

"Hey, Lynn," Luan greeted, stepping off of the ladder leading up to the attic. "I found all of our old photo albums. Wanna look at some with me?"

"Hard pass," Lynn replied, walking into her room and kicking her damp shoes off. 

"Where have you been in this weather?" Lucy asked, not taking her eyes off of her book. 

"None of your business," Lynn muttered back. Lucy didn't need to know what she was doing, especially not when it was to relieve her feelings surrounding her. 

She also didn't need to know that Lynn planned on relieving said feelings this way much more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted Margo and her fam to have the last name of someone popular in sports, specifically football, and if the last name I chose for them doesn't give away the state I live in, idk what will. (if you don't know jack about sports, think cheese, beer, and cows) 
> 
> Next chapter is coming along just as nicely as this one did, so should be out next week. I think I made it at least somewhat obvious which sister will be in focus. ;) Later!


End file.
